Amalgamation
by alwayswritewithcoffee
Summary: (v) to mix or merge as to make a combination. A series of ficlets set on Beckett and Castle's wedding day. No spoilers. All speculation.
1. Chapter 1 (First Dance)

Tumblr prompts set to Castle and Beckett's wedding. All related but not in any particular order.

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_Caskett + first dance. From castleramblings._

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In six years spent by Kate's side, he can't think of a moment when she's looked more radiant than today. His wife (oh, he's never going to tire of that title) sparkles with sheer happiness, a luminescent smile blooming over her face whenever their eyes meet across the small crowd of people who made the streamlined guest list.

He hasn't found more than thirty seconds to spend alone with her, and he's itching for it. At every turn there have been requests for photos, hugs and well wishes. Somehow, in all the madness they neglected to ask for even ten minutes to simply sit down and bask in their newly married status.

Their first solid moment arrives with their dance, though even then he has to go on a hunt for Kate where she's been effectively trapped by her Aunt Teresa and a woman whom he doesn't know, but who his wife - again, the title brings an easy smile - had explained the Beckett's had known since before she was born.

"Mrs. Castle, your assistance is needed on the dance floor," Rick says, voice pitched a bit lower than his usual tone when he slips up behind her, loops his arms around Kate at her waist. He doesn't imagine the shiver that curls across her shoulders, or the way her throat works to swallow back what he suspects is a groan.

It just turns his delighted smile into something a touch more predatory, adds depth to his blue eyes that promise to give her everything she could possibly want later in the night when they are alone and free to do as they please.

"Is it?" Kate asks, a slow and far too innocent blink, the coy smile she gives him making the two women titter in amusement at her side, "I hadn't noticed," she continues, pressing a smacking kiss against his cheek just as Rick tightens his arms around her waist, lifting her from the floor in a smooth spin, dress and all, away from the women and towards the dance floor while Kate tips her head towards the ceiling in a shout of laughter that is largely drowned out by the opening strands of their song.

Rick gives a chuckle of his own once they step onto the floor, his smirk hidden against the mocha curls of Kate's hair when she suddenly sinks about five inches and her shoes are in a heap on the floor. But, if he's honest, he likes her the most this way, how she fits so perfectly under his chin.

And Kate nuzzles into his warmth, her small exhale painting the sensitive skin of his neck in the same moment that the singer's voice flows from the speakers. A quick glance at their guests reflect confusion, disappointment and a myriad of questions at the rather melancholy tinge of their first dance song but Rick can't be bothered to care. He's a writer, with a hefty bank account to offer some resemblance of his success, and these words, their implication, resonate within him like few works can.

And he basks in it, wrapping his arms around Kate, dropping a kiss against the crown of her head as they spin in a slow circle on the floor. It's not really dancing, more like swaying, but its the first time that he's gotten to hold his wife since the minister declared them Mister and Mrs Richard Castle. Right now, he can get lost in that mysterious pool of green and brown, pick out the specific flecks that are sometimes gold that reside within Kate's eyes.

She catches him at it before long, the slight crease forming between her brows while her brilliant mind attempts to figure him out. But he shakes his head, kisses the mark from her skin with a smile and then captures her mouth for a slow kiss that only leaves that sparkling, dazzling smile that makes his heart skip a beat because he's holding his wife, Mrs. Katherine Beckett Castle and they are dancing at their wedding and, really, its about as perfect a moment as he can imagine.

As their song says, she's in his veins and he definitely, absolutely cannot get her out.


	2. Chapter 2 (Father of The Bride)

Father of the bride speech. From nadmar.

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For thirty-four years, he's been dreading this day. It has absolutely nothing to do with Rick Castle, a man who has earned his respect through his patience and the depth of the love he holds for Katie, and everything to do with the fact that his little girl, his only child, is no longer just his.

She's married. Officially belongs to someone else and Jim finally understands the tears and the looks of longing that Thomas Houghton had bestowed upon Johanna throughout their wedding day.

And God does he miss his wife. Even with the recent closure that her murder has been given, even though it's been fifteen long years since she graced him with her beautiful spirit, today the ache is as strong as in the days immediately following her passing.

She should be here for Katie, arm linked through his while they watch their daughter light up the room with her smile and the total encompassing happiness that you can only experience when you find the person you are meant to share your life with.

Though he spends his days in a court of law, using words to present evidence and represent clients, he worries that when the time comes he will be empty of them. Would Katie understand if emotion became too much, if syllables and letters escaped his brain and left him only able to salute the newlyweds with his glass of water and a kind smile? He's sure she would, but Jim doesn't want her to have too.

He wants to send his daughter and her husband off with some small token of his emotion for the both of them, to give his son-in-law a glimpse of the person that he has seen grown from a stubborn, mischievous kid, a precocious, gangly teenager, and finally to this graceful and beatific woman who sits with her head on Rick's shoulder, smiling softly as the man's mother entertains the crowd with her enthusiastic and grand toast.

Jim still finds it funny that Martha refers to Katie strictly as Katherine, the formality both strange and fitting of the woman whom he has enjoyed getting to know in the past two years.

When the redheaded grande dame has taken her seat to applause and a smattering of laughter, including his own, Jim rises to his feet slowly. Several deep breaths later he catches his daughter's eye from the few feet that separate them, giving her a watery smile that she returns.

She looks so much like her mother, and though it hits him harder on this day than it usually might he finds that searching for courage to speak, or praying for the right words, aren't necessary. He has them all.

"When Katie was four years old, she had a dream," he begins quietly, eyes trained on the woman as she sits up straight and devotes her complete attention to her father, "She was never one to really fixate on one thing. Princesses and soccer were equally important, she would dress up for a tea party about as often as we would scold her for climbing trees in the park. But there was a period of about a year where Katie's dream in life was to live in a castle…."

Jim knows the moment the memory registers with Katie, the pink hue of a blush staining across her cheekbones as she gives a small laugh and shakes her head. Dismayed and equally enjoyed that her most girlish tale is about to be told as he continues, "Belvedere Castle was her favorite haunt. Every weekend she'd beg Johanna and I to take her inside, insist on going to the top of the tower to look out across the park. And she had it all planned, how the prince would come to meet her, insist she needed rescue, but she wouldn't need it. Instead, all she needed was someone to play soccer and never say she couldn't do something because she was a girl."

He has to pause for a moment, emotion clogging his throat as much as the chuckles and teasing from Rick towards his wife interrupting the end of his speech.

"All I have ever wanted for you is that you are happy and loved, that you build a life with someone who supports you and loves you unconditionally. Sweetheart, you have that with Rick. I know he isn't a prince, but he is a kind, generous man who loves you so very much. I won't wish the two of you happiness, or a long marriage because I know you will have both. Instead, I will say that I'm glad you are getting your castle, Katie and that, in turn, I'm getting a son-in-law who is more than worthy of the best thing I've done in my life," Jim finishes as softly as he began, lifting his glass in the air towards the couple with the intention of sitting down.

But he doesn't get far, suddenly with his arms full of his daughter after she bounds from the head table to wrap her arms around him.

"I love you, dad," she says quietly, and he pretends not to notice the emotional tremble in Katie's voice as he wraps her in his own hug and repeats the sentiment.


	3. Chapter 3 (Best Man)

_Alexis' best man speech. From lifeofallison._

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Her dad being married isn't anything new to Alexis. She can vaguely remember when her parents were married, blurry splotches of memory where here mom floated from audition to independent movie, flitted in and out of their lives while off doing regional theatre and attending parties with her friends.

And then there was Gina. The woman had never been distant or rude, she had actually tried to make some sort of bond with Alexis but, at eight years old, she hadn't really noticed. Her dad had always kept them at arms length, made sure that the two of them never really crossed paths in more than superficial sense.

Now, as an adult, Alexis realizes that her dad was merely trying to protect her, shield her from a relationship and a marriage that wasn't healthy or conductive for a young girl to grow up around. All those weekends with Grams, and the extracurricular field trips make far more sense in the scope of years passed, as does the mornings following the divorce where her dad appeared rumpled and a little stilted.

Long nights of drinking and parties will do that to a person. Even attending college less than five miles from her childhood home, she's learned a thing or two.

But its different now, she's been back home for almost three months, awkwardly dancing around this comfortable unit that have become her dad, Kate and grandmother. Most days, Alexis feels like she's meant to be there, that Kate is somehow slotted so firmly into the hole that their small family never acknowledged was missing. Other days, she aches to move out again, to not bear witness to a situation that seems to have sped right along while she tried to find her own life outside the protective shield of her father.

In those three months, her animosity towards Kate (she simply can't think of her in the new title of step-mother, it's too strange) has slowly melted. She's watched and experienced the kind and warm woman that not so long ago seemed merely a myth as her father struggled to cope with the horrors of the job she performed and what felt like an imminent implosion of their relationship.

Her father had always been her biggest cheerleader, the constant in her life, and seeing him put in danger, so easily torn to pieces by Kate Beckett…well, she had hoped nothing would come of it. Had been convinced that her dad would be better off without the looming shadow of the detective.

She's never been so glad to be wrong as the two of them sit together at the table, quietly laughing and finding excuses to touch one another. She's seen Kate pretend to adjust her dad's tie, her dad smooth the lace edge of the wedding dress and draw small circles against her upper arms. It's the happiest she can remember her father, the smile on his face and the crinkle in his eyes almost a permanent fixture in the past week.

There's a small lull in conversation amongst the couple and the guests when she stands, lightly tapping her knife against her glass to bring a shush over the gathered guests who simultaneously turn their attention towards the source of the noise.

All those eyes on her have the unfortunate effect of making Alexis blush, send the fingers of her unoccupied hand twisting against the material of her green dress until she forces herself to relax, allows a smile to spread over her face while she takes in her dad and Kate in turn.

"For my entire life, it's been my dad and I," she begins, a soft clearing of her throat buying Alexis time to tuck her hair behind her ears, gather some composure, "He's been both my mother and my father, my biggest cheerleader and supporter. Always told me to dream big, that I could do anything I wanted and encouraged me to be happy."

"And I have been, I am now, but until Kate came into his life I don't think my dad was happy," Alexis can see her father's eyebrows draw together, his mouth forming a word (or fifteen) of protest so she rushes forward, "Not with me, dad. I know you were completely content raising me, writing books and playing video games," she pauses for the light laughter of the crowd to die down, "But there was something missing because, until Kate, your whole life was about everyone else. You took care of me, you took care of Grams, you went to meetings and signings and none of it was for you. Not really."

"But then you met Kate, and even at fifteen I knew there was something special between you. This part of you that I had only gotten glimpses of before came alive, like you'd found some missing puzzle piece. And then I watched for four years while you fought to prove yourself, how you kept going back and never gave up…." Alexis gives a slight shrug, smiling across the distance at Kate as the woman blushes and turns to press a light kiss against her father's cheek while he fights back tears, "Until the two of you began this crazy dance, I don't think I really believed in marriage or true love. Love always seemed like some fleeting thing that ebbed and flowed like a wave because people so easily fell into and out of it."

"I know that isn't the case now. In watching the two of you together, in seeing how you complete Kate, and how Kate completes you, I've changed my mind. Marriage is something worth doing, so long as its with the person you don't want to be without," she says softly, a curtain of her red hair falling to obscure her face as the first tear breaks rank and slides down her dad's cheek. "Kate, I'm so glad you chose him because being with you has made my dad so happy. And he deserves every bit of it, as do you. Welcome to our family."

Alexis knows her father well enough that she doesn't bother to sit. Instead, she slides around the edge of the table, meets him halfway between her seat with the rest of the bridal party and the head table for a hug that has her lifted off her feet. "Thank you, pumpkin," he says, voice clogged with tears.

"You're welcome, dad," she replies once he lets her go, turning to find Kate waiting just behind him to also envelope her in a warm hug.


	4. Chapter 4 (Dessert)

Caskett + cutting the cake. From mrs_chanandler_bong21.

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"You ready for this?"

The question comes with that curve of Kate's eyebrow, the slight pursing of her lips as she fights the urge to smile. She's leaning against the table that holds his groom's cake, a chocolate confection that she had the baker make in the shape of the Death Star without his knowledge.

As she predicted, Castle had lit up like a little kid at Christmas, wrapped her up in a long kiss that left her heart racing before snapping photos of the cake itself, both of them with it alone, and several of them together in rapid succession with his cell phone before she's able to get her giddy husband under control.

The fact it takes drawing him in for another kiss just happens to be an excellent bonus, though they are pulling away from one another far too soon for Kate's liking and the lack of contact leaves her aching for the uninterrupted three weeks of bliss in the Maldives that begin tomorrow morning.

But they have duties to perform, traditions to withhold that include cutting into the large five tiered creation which rests on the main table. The wedding planner Castle had hired in the final weeks of planning is hovering at the edge of the table with the knife in hand, looking as if she might cut the thing herself if they don't get a move on and stick to her schedule.

Kate can only laugh, teeth sinking into her lower lip as she tangles her fingers with Castle's, lightly tugs him towards the table with a challenge blazing in her eyes. She knows him too well, is sure that this moment will end with one, or both, of them wearing a good amount of icing and cake but she can't find it within herself to care.

She might be married, but Kate is still going to give as good as she gets and, being the bride, her husband has the benefit of going first and giving her ample time to plot her revenge.

"Babe, no you're doing it wrong," she's laughing at him, nose wrinkled up while Castle's lower lip protrudes dramatically. "You put your hand on the handle, I put mine on top of yours - we don't both have to hold the thing."

There's a dramatic huff that sparks the roll of her eyes, the lowering of his head just a fraction so that their mouths can lightly brush against one another in spite of the cat calls from Ryan, Esposito and the other members of the precinct that Kate makes a mental note to hurt once she's back from her honeymoon.

While the slicing of the cake goes without incident, the ritual of feeding her a piece of it goes about how Kate expects. Though Castle tries to be subtle, he's too careful in not telegraphing that he wants to smash the small piece of cake into her face. And at the last moment, Kate dodges him to the laughter of the crowd and the piece of dessert falls uselessly onto the floor between their feet.

"Sorry, honey," she says with a smile, using his momentary distraction with what just happened to pick up her own piece and put it squarely against his mouth and chin.

There's nothing but a stunned look at her for a long beat, Kate biting the inside of her cheek while she tries to hold in her laughter. And she does, at least until Castle tips his head back and lets out a long chuckle, snagging her around the waist to pull her against him and lower his mouth to hers.

And then she's covered in cake and icing, able to taste the sugary icing and feel the fluffy, creamy textures along side the scrape of his tongue against the roof of her mouth. The sensation sends goosebumps scattering over her skin, leaves Kate fighting a moan as she digs her fingers into his dress shirt and soaks it all in.

They are both breathless when they finally break apart, the catcalls and cheers resuming in full force as she laughs and reaches forward to wipe the remaining food from his face.


	5. Chapter 5 (Rendevous)

_Sneaking away the crowd of people that just want to have a piece of them to have a small moment with each other and marvel at the fact that they did it. They are married. From dontgiveup88._

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Kate finds it stunning that at her own wedding reception she's spent very little time with her husband. The whole day is meant to be about them, for them, a celebration of deciding to be together until death do they part. So its absurd that she only gets little snatches of him, teasing kisses and glancing touches that make her burn from the inside out.

He's in the midst of a conversation with Alex Conrad and his date when she decides she has had enough, cutting off Lanie's story with a hand on her arm and an apologetic smile.

"Go, honey," the woman says, plucking the glass of champagne from her fingers with a grin, turning her back to search for one of their mutual friends in the crowd.

And she does go, slowly cutting a path through bodies of well-wishers with a smile and brief snatches of eye contact that Kate merely hopes will keep them satisfied for a few minutes. She lacks the patience to stop for more idle chatter, to hear more compliments on her dress, the ceremony, examinations of her ring or questions that alternate between their honeymoon destination to when they can all expect her to fall pregnant.

Predictably, her aunt had been the first to broach the subject, even going so far as to place a hand on Kate's stomach and offer and conspiratorial wink which….well, unless Teresa can tell something that her own body has failed to share, she isn't placing that much stock in the woman.

When she slips up beside Castle, he doesn't notice. Too busy giving his full attention to Alex's date and some story that Kate is unable to make sense of in the brief spill of words that she hears. But both men are laughing, genuinely entertained by the pretty blonde, at least until Kate's fingers slip down under the hem of her husband's suit jacket and graze the solid curve of his butt with a fleeting glance that has Rick choking on his drink and spinning to face her as Alex roars with laughter.

"Hi," she grins, eyes dancing with mischief when she's treated to that trademark smirk of his that used to set her teeth on edge. Strange how much things can change because now, oh, now it makes her think of all the brilliant, toe-curling things he has done to her following one of those looks and it makes her heart thump hard against her ribs. "Come with me," Kate swallows, stealing the glass from his hand to drain the remainder of the liquid.

After that, she's on a mission, pulling Castle through their guests and away from the heart of the reception. In fact, she abandons the back yard of their (oh, wow, it truly is theirs now isn't it?) Hamptons home altogether, leading Castle up the arbor covered pathway, through the glass doors and into the massive sun room that doubles as a place for board games and lazy afternoons when rain keeps them off the beach.

"Beckett, what are we do—" the question gets muffled by a groan, arms suddenly full of his wife and mind blissfully blank with all the talented things she can do with her tongue. He has a good five inches on her in height, is easily twice her size in every other category that matters, but Kate is a tough woman to take down when she's after something and - well, right now that seems to be him.

Whatever has brought this on, complaining about it never enters his mind because she is practically crawling up his body, fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt, teeth tugging at the fullness of his lower lip and making it exceedingly difficult to hold on to his control to ensure that they don't just abandon the party and head down the hall to the bedroom.

"Kate, honey, slow down," he mutters, capturing her head in his hands to slow the kiss to a simmer, fingers sliding against the silk of her hair and across the line of her cheekbone, "We've got plenty of time."

The look he gets for that almost does it for him, the deep green burning dark and rich against her pale skin, but he reins it all in, dips his head for another slow exploration of her mouth that seems to drain all the tension from Kate, leaves her less of a live wire and far more at ease. "Did you miss me or something?" he teases, lips tracing over her cheekbone, "It's been a while since you've attacked me like that. Not that I'm complaining."

The huff she gives him is adorable, all ruffled feathers and a burgeoning smile and he just can't help himself. Kate is in his arms and on his lap before she can even order him to put her down, and both of them are nestled against the cushions on the plush navy couch by the time she's accepted her fate and has taken to nipping a path along his jaw. "I just don't understand why at our wedding we're spending so much time apart," she says, long fingers curled at his ears for a lazy, slow kiss that keeps going because neither of them can be bothered to stop.

"Well, I can fix that, I happen to know there are a pair of police issue handcuffs in your nightstand. I'm happy to spend the rest of the night cuffed to you so you can't lose me," he teases, a full blown grin breaking open on his face as Kate lets out a laugh, hides her joy against the curve of his neck.

"I love you," Kate whispers after a beat, so much vulnerability and honesty in her voice that it makes his heart stutter, steals the breath completely from his lungs for just an instant, "I love you so much, Rick."

His first name is his undoing, tears spilling over his eyes before he has a hope to stop them. "Kate, honey," he sighs out, drawing her upright, locking gazes with her so she can see all of it. He's absolutely nothing without her, can't imagine what his life would have become if she hadn't strolled in to his book party and turned his pathetic little world upside down. She's so much more than what he could write on a page, infinitely more beautiful, breathtaking and complex than any book or word that has been invented in all the languages of the world. And he's devastated by her, how much he loves her, how fully she completes him, "I know," he responds, heart kicking into overdrive at the press of six years of near misses and would have beens, the highs and the lows.

"It's always been you," she adds softly, lips molding over his while she breaths the words, "Even before I met you. Your books, your words, they kept me going, gave me an anchor when I needed one and I just….I love you. So, so much."

"And I love you," he echoes, fingers diving into her hair, wrecking what he's sure had been a carefully executed hairstyle, "Because it's never been about the words, just me."

After that he's lost, drowning in the most wonderful ocean that is his wife. She's everything and she's everywhere, hands, lips, and teeth. It's quick, a little salacious, but he cannot hope to stop. Not when Kate Beckett is now his wife, not when they are both crying and she's whispering how much she loves him with each kiss of their hips or meeting of their mouths.

Neither of them really care when they return to the party a good half an hour later, Kate's hair somewhat restored to rights, clothing rearranged to disguise how they spent their time away. But they do stay next to each other for the rest of the night, fingers tangled together and soft smiles etched onto their faces.

They made it. After everything, they are with each other, right where they belong.


	6. Chapter 6 (Garter)

_Removal of the garter. Requested by multiple users._

**_Rating bump towards a high T for this one. _**

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Kate is still laughing at the stunned expression Lanie wears, mouth open and eyes wide as she clutches the bouquet in her hands. Having the nest of flowers land in her best friends hands hadn't been a plan, or really even a conscious thought when she had put her back to the women gathered on the lawn and tossed the blooms over her head.

But commitment shy Lanie Parish had caught them, and the slice of irony was really the topping on what had been the best day of Kate's life.

Her giggles have lessened by the time Castle has directed her back to the dance floor, slowly eased her into a chair before her mind has really clicked the chain of events into place. Too little food, a tad too much champagne and the natural high of being excessively happy are making her a bit sluggish which means that by the time the music fills the backyard, Rick is already kneeling in front of her with a look that only spells predatory trouble and, lingering in the darker blue flecks of his eyes, sex.

Oh shit, she's in _so _much trouble.

"Richard Castle….." she croaks the words, her throat suddenly bone dry and lips parched. The action of licking moisture back into them completely negates the warning tone she's going for, as does the slight suck of air she gulps down when his thighs flex against the black material of his pants, broad digits slipping her shoe from her foot.

The touch of his skin against hers is charged with more electricity than usual, heightened by the day, the environment, the vivid memory of how he had thoroughly broken her apart a few hours ago. There's also that promise that he will be doing it again very, very soon swimming in his eyes, and the groan slips out before Kate gains control of herself. She's shifted forward on instinct, nostrils flaring and teeth digging into her bottom lip as his fingers trace the arch of her foot, thumbs lightly digging against the sensitive skin.

But if the feeling of his fingers against her foot got her going, it's nothing compared to the glide of Castle's hand over her calf and her knee. She hisses when his nails scrape across the bend of her knee, has to bite back the swear word that rushes to mind when that infuriatingly sexy smirk spreads across his face. And when he wiggles his eyebrows at her, she's torn between laughing and lunging forward to tackle him to the floor.

But damn, he can absolutely make smugness sexy.

It's all fairly instinctive. Rick has two years worth of information in his arsenal of ways to make Kate lose control. Even now, its a challenge for him to see how far his beautiful, by the book detective will go before she snaps.

Her skin is soft and warm, the hint of her perfume and his own scent lingering in a combination that could led to a potentially embarrassing situation by the time he gets the garter off of her. The memory of how she'd looked perched above him, lip caught between her teeth as her eyes burned a deep, forest green etched into his mind.

He can tell that Kate is also thinking about it because he knows all of her tells, the hitch of her breath, the rigid position of her hips and the clench of her fingers at the edges of the chair. It all makes him smile, just as it makes him brave enough to continue, dipping his head to kiss the patch of skin that is on display just below the hem of her dress.

"Castle," she's hissing at him, which makes him chuckle all the more, never wavering in his slow progress up her left leg, adding the slick slide of his tongue and the press of his teeth now that his head is hidden by the folds of her dress.

His tactic changes when he reaches Kate's knee, fingers skirting higher across her thigh. Rick can feel her thigh muscles contract as he trails his fingers across, doesn't miss the slight wiggle of her pelvis against the chair. He's pretty sure she's biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, a blush staining her cheeks and her eyes growing black with arousal.

His time to do this and not make it appear sleazy is quickly evaporating, but he still takes the extra seconds to kiss along her thigh, to smile when her legs relax under his mouth.

Much better, he thinks, snagging the garter with his teeth and using his hands to steady himself and to guide Kate's leg in order to slide the blue satin piece down her body and, finally, emerge with a triumphant grin and hopelessly rumpled hair to get a glimpse of his wife who looks as wrecked as he is.

"Are you gonna kill me, Beckett?" he asks with a grin, giving her a wiggle of his eyebrows before she swoops down on him for a kiss.

"Not until you finish what you've started, Mr. Castle," she replies, the vibration of the words scraping across his mouth and leaving him with a shiver of need before he gets to his feet, pocketing the blue garter and retrieving a white one that he will shoot across the waiting group of men.

The blue one….well, he might have uses for that later. Memories and all.


End file.
